TALLAHASSEE, Fla.– The Florida State women’s cross country has continued its dominance of the Atlantic Coast Conference, not only on the course, but in the classroom as well.

Junior Colleen Quigley became the fourth Seminole in five years selected as the ACC Women’s Cross Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year on Friday, when the 2013 honor was announced by ACC Commissioner John Swofford.

“Not only did Colleen have an incredible year as a runner, but she was also able to balance her athletics with a very tough honors course-load at Florida State,” Seminoles’ coach Karen Harvey said. “I’m so proud of her and so happy to see her recognized by the ACC for being a balanced and successful student-athlete.”

Quigley’s selection should come as no surprise. Athletically, she led the Seminoles to their sixth consecutive ACC title by placing second overall at the ACC Championships, held at the Beeson Park Course in Kernersville, N.C. It was just the start of a brilliant postseason for the St. Louis, Mo. native, who followed up by winning the NCAA South Regional individual title – leading the `Noles to a fourth consecutive team crown – and capped the year with a sixth-place finish at the NCAA Championships, which led all ACC performers at the meet. FSU placed eighth in the team standings.

She was named ACC Women’s Cross Country Performer of the Year in December, while Harvey claimed her seventh consecutive ACC Women’s Coach of the Year honor.

Off the course, the dietetics major continues to set a high bar academically, compiling a team-leading 3.816 GPA for the fall semester and maintaining a 3.946 cumulative GPA.

“I’m very proud of all our cross country athletes,” FSU men’s coach Bob Braman said. “They’ve always been as competitive in the classroom as they are on the course.

“Kevin and Jakub are truly outstanding student-athletes. Kevin is in grad school with a job waiting for him in New York City, and Jakub is a fantastic student headed to grad school this summer as well.” Both Quigley and Zivec are making their third appearances on the All-ACC Academic team.

To be eligible for consideration, a student-athlete must have earned a 3.00 GPA for the previous semester and maintained a 3.00 cumulative GPA throughout their academic careers.

“Joining Colleen, are Linden, Hannah and Pippa, giving FSU representation by four talented runners and students,” said Harvey. “The amount of organization and effort it took these young ladies is probably not something many of us could understand. I am in awe of their will and passion to be great in sport and in the classroom.”

Quigley, Hall, Walker and Woolven also excelled on the course, each earning All-ACC honors while contributing to the team title.

FSU’s record for turning out Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors is impressive, with Quigley joining Hannah Brooks (2011), Jennifer Dunn (2010) and Susan Kuijken (2009). The FSU men have also produced three previous Scholar-Athlete of the Year winners: Zivec (2012), Michael Fout (2011) and Matthew Leeder (2009).

‘Noles earn multiple USTFCCCA All-Academic honors

Four members of the Florida State women’s cross country team have earned United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic honors. Colleen Quigley, Hannah Walker, Linden Hall and Pippa Woolven each met the rigorous standard or maintaining a 3.25 GPA while excelling on the course in the postseason.

In addition to the individual honors, both the Florida State women and men earned All-Academic team distinction. FSU was one of 146 NCAA Division I schools to have both its men’s and women’s teams earn the distinction. The Seminole women, who placed eighth at NCAA Championships, boasted a team GPA of 3.37, while the men finished with a team GPA of 3.14.